Connecticut western news., 1887-07-20
THE WORLDS WASTE.
How Fortunes Are Yearly Thrown
 Away in Trifles.
Three Millions Wasted Annually
 in Lost Pins,

Tn Lost Pms.
 A writer in the Philadelphia Evening Call thus whimsically treats the subject of useless waste:
 I wish I had nickel for every dollar wasted in this country. Yes, I'll reduce that proposition to cent on the dollar, and then retire rich in few years. don't mean wasted by the rich but by the poor and the moderately we'll off. And when I say waste, I don't include flowers, pictures or articles solely for the eye, nor do I consider it waste for rich man to have suit for every day in the year, or 800 pairs of pantaloons, like that cstimable New York gentleman, Berry Wall. mean waste in every day mat ter-of-fact articles such as everybody uses.
 Let us take pins, for a starter. You have doubtless been asked what becomes of the pins, and don't know. Nobody knows; not even the English journal that recently offered cash prize for solu- tion of the problem. They are lost, and that's all you can say about it. But why should they be lost? You don't lose your diamond pin, although it's not much larger than common brass one. It is evident that the pins could be taken care of; that they ought to be, let figures attest. There are 60, ,OOO,oO people in the United States, and every one on an average loses five cents worth of pins per annum. That makes $3, 900, 900 a year gone nowhere. My per cent. on that would give me $30,00 year; enough to clothe me at any rate. Just think of $3, 900, 900 year lost forever, as not one pin in 20, 900, 900 is ever found again.
 But that is only beginning. Let us take up cigars and pipes as the next ar ticle on the catalogue of waste Don't be alarmed! I am not going to compute the cost of smoking and call it waste, because I am a smoker and have scruples. am going to concede that money in- vested ill tobacco is we'll invested and then open your eyes to another awful leak. Let us approach the subject grad ually, because it is vast. There are i 1000, 900 cigars week smoked in this city and 2,0oo,oO0 pipe loads of tobacco. Don't ask me how know this data-you put me out. Average cost of cigar to consumer, five cents; total cost, $50, 900. Average cost of pipe load, one cent; total cost, $20, 1000. Grand total, $7O,- 900 week expended, and of this amount one-tifth is wasted After long observation and careful calculation I find that one-fifth of each cigar is thrown away unsmoked and the same proportion of each pipe load. This may seem large, but am confident that it is rather under the average, and it represents a loss of S14, 900 week, or SIPS, 900 year. Re- member, this in Philadelphia alone, and I can safely multiply it by fifty to include the rest of the country. Grand total, sse, 400, 900, on which my percentage is 1864, ,O00. already have respectable income, you perceive. am only ill the suburbs of this sub- ject, and already am appalled, at the amount of territory that stretches before me. It is estimated by careful house. keepers that one-tenth of each pot of coffee or tea is not fit to drink, and what to do with the slops no one knows. Jumping the crusts of bread, ends of steak, dabs of butter, crumbs of cake and pie remnants, I am within bounds when l say that one-tenth of every meal goes to waste, and since everybody eats, even if they don't smoke or drink, the aggregate must be enormous. I will not enter into figures, but will content myself with taking $50, ,O0O year as my percentage.
 have not finished, even If I do quit. In the matter of buttons there must be large sum coming to me, and likewise in the item of matches. Very few persons make match do its full duty. Then look at the unnecessary amount of paper that is used in making fires by women, when old paper is worth cent pound.
 There are other things too numerous to mention, and I have not taken at all into account the things that are thrown away and return to their original elements, and so in a measure are not wasted. am aware that the list is incomplete, and I feel sure you will be able to supple ment it from your experience. But it will do for an example and serve to maintain me in idleness and ease during the remainder of my life. My percentage on the various wastages enumerated is the enormous sum of $1 219, 600 and some small items not enumerated. With that income I could afford to do some vast ing on my own account.
 A tidy income, isn't it? How much have you contributed toward it2
 Seats at Royal PrOccssions.
 The growth of prices for seats to sec royal processions ill London is noted in